Death trip

On the
southern end of Jornada del Muerto
the car radio tells me
China is threatening to start a war.
I wear sunglasses
and drive the speed limit.
East of the Doña Ana Mountains
and up over the San Augustin Pass
they have a missile testing range
and an air force base.
I live inside
a huge yet invisible bull’s eye.
If the crazy people
in Beijing and Washington
decide to start a war
over who owns a body of water
on the other side of the planet
there is a good chance
my wife and I will
be reduced to vapor
along with everybody else.
She sits next to me
poking on her phone.
She has no idea the world is about to end.
I reach down and push a radio button.
Yummy Yummy Yummy
by the Ohio Express.
My wife makes a face.